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Dirty in Toronto: Kim Stanford’s Show at Gallery 1313

In Toronto’s COOLEST area Queen West, Gallery 1313 is currently displaying its newest exhibition Dirty (May 15th– May 26th). Dirty, by Kim Stanford replicates mundane objects such as socks within the given space as an exploration “into larger, absurd work that both attracts and repels, and opens a conversation about the universal dialectic between the taken-for-granted and a search for meaning.” After having seen the piece (online but soon enough in the flesh), many interesting artists and ideas come to mind. It is interesting to sees these parallels and derive new and exciting interpretations for oneself, creating a new dialogue- which is exactly what this artist intends. Won’t you join me through this adventure? Read on, and come up with your own interpretation and let us know what you think?

The title of the exhibition and the installation reminds me instantly of French artist Louise Bourgeois, specifically her piece Cumul I (above). In this piece, Bourgeois explores the notions of sexuality and the Freudian concept of childhood trauma. These conglomerate round objects in Culmul I (seen as either penis or breasts- it has never been defined by the artist herself) reflects the repetition seen throughout Dirty. Could we say that Dirty, with its initial title can be seen as highly sexualised, allowing us to explore our own psychoanalytical metaphors?

The socks also play on the familiarity of objects, allowing the viewer to relate easily to the piece. Like the soft marble in Cumul I, the material plays with the familiar material marble used throughout Art History. Both of these, use the familiarity of objects to create something appealing to look at, yet at the exact same time creating something repulsive.

To push this parrellel even further, upon entering Gallery 1313 the window gallery, holds an installation reminiscent of the socks, however hung together like sausages on a meathook. Could this get more Freudian or feministic – in the case of Bourgeois?

I will leave it you to follow your he(ART) and let your imagination run free. Let us know what you think, and take a stroll down to Gallery 1313 if your in town.

Because my comment was deleted I’ll say it again…and hope you don’t delete it again. (you should not delete comments that you do not like…this seems to happen whenever there is a negative comment on this site.)
This article was refreshing and interesting. It is supporting a great small gallery in Toronto that does not get enough recognition. You should do more articles like this that are fun and great to read. K needs to be writing for this site a lot more, because she(or he) writes on some very interesting topics and her (or his) articles are much more enjoyable.